KR20160106560A - Methods of extending the life of battery - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for extending the life of a battery outputs adjusted voltages from output terminals configured to interface with the input terminals of the battery powered devices. The method includes receiving a battery electric power output from the battery. The voltage output by the battery decreases from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage during use of the battery. The electrical power output is used to drive a transducer that outputs a transducer electrical power having a transducer output voltage that is greater than the battery second output voltage. The transducer electrical power is output from the output terminals configured to interface with the input terminals of the battery drive apparatus. The transducer is configured and supported for the battery to interface with one or more output terminals of the battery.

Description

[0001] METHODS OF EXTENDING THE LIFE OF BATTERY [0002]

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 962,131, filed November 1, 2013, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 403,625, filed September 20, 2010 U.S. Serial No. 13 / 236,436, filed September 19, 2011, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to batteries, and more particularly to techniques for extending the operating life of batteries, such as disposable and rechargeable batteries. Most consumer electronic equipment uses batteries. Batteries are classified as primary batteries, secondary batteries, and rechargeable batteries of gun batteries. Many electronic devices are sensitive to very precise voltages and require these voltages to operate properly. In some cases, when the battery supply voltage to the electronic equipment drops very low, the equipment not only provides unreliable output, but low voltages can damage the equipment. As such, many manufacturers of electronic equipment include circuitry to detect battery voltage levels and the circuit will turn itself off when the voltage level drops below a predetermined level. As an example, the new unused AA battery provides 1.5V. Over time, as battery charge is consumed by equipment that uses the battery, the battery voltage begins to fall.

Some electronic devices that use disposable batteries, such as AA batteries, are designed to stop operating when the battery voltage drops by about 10%. This means that when the voltage of the AA battery drops to about 1.4V or 1.35V, the battery is no longer usable by the instrument and should be replaced with a new battery. Therefore, the entire voltage range of 0 V to 1.35 V is obsoleted and consequently extremely inefficient. This is similar to the scenario where only 10% of the bottled soda is consumed, routinely, and the rest are discarded. This is obviously very wasteful and inefficient.

Another factor affecting the cost of batteries is that some of the materials used to manufacture the batteries are difficult to mince and are considered as rare earth materials in some cases. The prices of these materials have been rising because some of them are only found in countries like China and China has begun to restrict the export of these materials.

In addition to the bad economic effects of battery inefficiency, there are significant environmental impacts. Approximately 3 billion batteries are sold each year. Batteries pose a special environmental crisis because they contain toxic substances that can flow into our natural resources such as groundwater. They are also not biodegradable. Many countries, not only cities, have laws or regulations governing the recycling of batteries. In addition, carbon emissions associated with the manufacture and distribution of batteries are causing problems. The process of mining these materials, putting them in batteries, packaging the batteries, and shipping them to the world generates a lot of energy and a lot of greenhouse gases. Therefore, improving the usage efficiency of the battery provides not only environmental advantages but also considerable economic advantages.

Therefore, there is a need for techniques that improve the efficiency of disposable or rechargeable batteries.

Embodiments of the present invention provide techniques that significantly increase the lifetime of batteries. According to one embodiment, a battery sleeve for prolonging the operating life of one or more batteries includes a positive conductive electrode and an insulating layer, wherein when the sleeve is coupled to the battery, the positive conductive electrode contacts the battery Is disposed over the positive terminal and causes the insulating layer to extend below the conductive electrode to electrically disconnect the positive conductive electrode from the positive terminal of the battery.

In another embodiment, the battery sleeve further includes a negative conductive electrode configured such that when the sleeve is coupled to the battery, the negative conductive electrode is in electrical contact with the negative terminal of the battery.

In another embodiment, the battery sleeve further comprises a voltage regulator circuit adapted to receive positive and negative terminals of the battery and to provide an output signal on an output terminal electrically connected to the positive conductive electrode.

In another embodiment, the battery sleeve accommodates both positive and negative voltages provided by the battery and is adapted to generate a substantially constant output voltage on the positive conductive electrode of the battery sleeve during the operating life of the battery. Circuit.

In another embodiment, the voltage regulator is housed within the upper portion of the battery sleeve proximate to the positive conductive electrode. In an alternative embodiment, the voltage regulator is housed in a lower portion of the battery sleeve proximate to the negative conductive electrode.

In another embodiment, when the battery sleeve is connected to the battery, the positive conductive electrode of the sleeve acts as a new positive terminal of the battery.

In another embodiment, the battery sleeve is configured to be covered by an insulating layer such that when the sleeve is coupled to the battery, the positive terminal of the battery is not externally electrically accessible.

In yet another embodiment, the battery sleeve is configured such that when the sleeve is coupled to the battery, the negative terminal of the battery is electrically externally accessible.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a battery sleeve for extending the operating life of one or more batteries is configured such that when the battery sleeve is coupled to at least one battery, And a positive electrode.

In one embodiment, the battery sleeve further comprises a voltage regulator adapted to receive the voltage provided by the at least one battery and to generate a substantially constant output voltage for a duration of at least one battery's operational life.

In another embodiment, the battery sleeve further includes an insulating layer extending below the conductive electrode, wherein the sleeve is disposed over the positive terminal of the battery when the sleeve is coupled to the battery, And to insulate the positive conductive electrode from the positive terminal of the battery.

In another embodiment, the battery sleeve further includes a negative conductive electrode configured such that when the sleeve is coupled to the battery, the negative conductive electrode is in electrical contact with the negative terminal of the battery.

In another aspect, a method is provided for extending the life of a battery. The method includes receiving a battery electrical power output from the battery. The battery electric power output has a battery output voltage that decreases from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage. The battery electrical power output is used to drive a converter that outputs a converter electrical power having a converter output voltage that is greater than the battery second output voltage. The transducer electrical power is output from one or more output terminals configured to interface with one or more input terminals of the battery drive apparatus. The transducer may be configured and supported for the battery to interface with one or more output terminals of the battery. The transducer can be embedded in the battery and the transducer electrical power output is output through the terminals of the battery.

In many embodiments of the method, the converter output voltage has a substantially constant magnitude as the battery output voltage decreases from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage. The battery second output voltage may be less than 70 percent of the battery first output voltage.

The method may include outputting the battery electrical power directly when the battery generates a voltage that exceeds a voltage required by the device driven by the battery. For example, the method may include providing one or more output terminals configured to interface with one or more input terminals of the battery-powered device as the battery output voltage is reduced from a battery first output voltage to a voltage that is above a minimum level required for normal operation of the battery- Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > electric power output. ≪ / RTI >

To further extend the life of the battery, the method may include outputting a nominal voltage or a reduced voltage for a voltage initially generated by the battery. For example, the method may include reducing the converter output voltage during at least a portion of the reduction of the battery output voltage from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage. For example, during some of the reduction of the battery output voltage from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage, the converter output voltage may decrease by less than 10% and the battery output voltage may decrease by more than 30%. As another example, the converter output voltage may be less than the battery output voltage during an initial portion of a decrease in the battery output voltage from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage.

In many embodiments of the method, the converter includes a step up converter and a step down converter. The step-up converter and the step-down converter are configured such that the converter output voltage is less than a) the first voltage, b) greater than the second voltage, and c) the battery output voltage decreases from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage To vary by less than 10 percent. The battery second output voltage may be less than 70 percent of the battery first output voltage.

The method may be practiced using any suitable battery and / or a combination of suitable batteries. For example, a battery supplying a battery electric power output may comprise discrete batteries connected in series. As another example, the battery may be a 9 volt battery with standardized adjacent output terminals. As another example, the battery may have an outer shell and the transducer may be disposed within an outer shell.

The method can include preventing polarity inversion. For example, the method can include preventing polarity inversion by blocking the coupling between the negative terminal of the battery and the positive input terminal of the converter.

In another aspect, a battery sleeve is provided for extending the operating life of one or more batteries. The battery sleeve includes a positive conductive electrode, an insulating layer, and a voltage regulation circuit. The insulating layer may be disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode such that when the sleeve is coupled to the one or more batteries a positive conductive electrode is disposed over the positive terminal of the one or more batteries and the insulating layer electrically separates the positive conductive electrode from the positive terminal, Extend downwards. The voltage regulation circuit is adapted to receive the voltage provided by the one or more batteries and to generate an increased output voltage on the positive conductive electrode for a voltage provided during at least a portion of the operating life of the one or more batteries. In many embodiments, the voltage provided by the one or more batteries decreases from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage, which is less than 70 percent of the battery first output voltage over the operating life of the one or more batteries.

In many embodiments of the battery sleeve, in order to further extend the life of the battery, the voltage regulation circuit may output a nominal voltage or a reduced voltage for the voltage initially generated by the battery. For example, the voltage regulating circuit may be configured such that the voltage provided by one or more batteries is reduced to a voltage that is greater than or equal to the minimum voltage level required for normal operation of the battery- To the conductive electrode of the second conductivity type. As yet another example, the voltage regulating circuit may generate an output voltage that is greater than the voltage provided by the one or more batteries, and the output voltage generated by the voltage regulating circuit decreases during a portion of the operating life of the one or more batteries. For example, the voltage generated by the voltage regulating circuit during a portion of the operating life of one or more batteries where the voltage provided by the regulating circuit decreases is reduced by less than 10 percent and the voltage provided by one or more batteries is reduced by more than 30 percent . As another example, the voltage generated by the voltage regulation circuit may be less than the voltage provided by one or more batteries during the initial portion of the operating life of the one or more batteries.

In many embodiments of the battery sleeve, the voltage regulation circuit includes a step-up converter and a step-down converter. The step-up converter and the step-down converter are configured such that the voltage generated by the voltage regulation circuit is less than an initial voltage provided by one or more batteries during the operating lifetime of one or more batteries and b) And c) less than 10 percent during the operating life of the one or more batteries. The final output voltage provided by the one or more batteries may be less than 70 percent of the initial pressure provided by the one or more batteries.

The battery sleeve may be configured for use with any suitable battery and / or combination of suitable batteries. For example, one or more batteries may include two or more batteries connected in series. The one or more batteries may include a 9 volt battery with standardized adjacent output terminals.

The battery sleeve may be configured to prevent unintended polarity reversal from erroneous engagement of the battery sleeve with one or more batteries. For example, a battery sleeve may include a voltage regulating circuit and a voltage regulating circuit to receive a positive terminal of one or more batteries when the battery sleeve is coupled to one or more batteries and to prevent a polarity reversal of the voltage supplied by the one or more batteries to the voltage regulating circuit. And a u-shaped element configured to shut off the electrical connection between negative terminals of the battery.

In another aspect, a battery assembly having an extended operating life is provided. The battery assembly includes an outer shell; At least one voltage generating cell disposed within the outer shell and providing an output voltage, a positive voltage terminal, a negative voltage terminal, and a voltage regulation circuit disposed within the outer shell. The voltage regulating circuit receives the output voltage provided by the at least one voltage generating cell and generates an increased output voltage for the voltage provided by the at least one voltage generating cell over at least a portion of the operating life of the at least one voltage generating cell. A voltage regulating circuit is operatively connected to the positive and negative voltage terminals to output an increased output voltage generated through the positive and negative voltage terminals.

In another embodiment, the voltage regulation circuit is included in the battery drive apparatus. The voltage regulating circuit drives the battery driving apparatus by outputting a voltage equal to or higher than a minimum voltage required for normally operating the battery driving apparatus even when one or more batteries output a voltage lower than the minimum voltage required for normal operation of the battery driving apparatus Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > battery < / RTI >

1 illustrates a battery conditioning system 110 in accordance with one embodiment.
2 is a simplified illustration of a battery sleeve according to one embodiment.
3 is a side view of a battery sleeve coupled to a battery, according to one embodiment.
4 is a simplified illustration of a battery sleeve having a regulator circuit disposed along a lower portion of the sleeve in accordance with one embodiment.
5 is a simplified drawing illustrating an embodiment in which the battery sleeve is adapted to couple to two serially connected batteries.
6A and 6B illustrate another embodiment in which the regulator and sleeve are adapted to provide the sleeve with a regulated output voltage and a positive terminal of the battery to external devices.
Figure 7 illustrates actual measured values illustrating the advantages of various embodiments.
8A is an inverted exploded view of a battery sleeve having a regulator circuit arranged to interface with the positive terminal of the battery, according to an embodiment.
FIG. 8B illustrates a battery and a related insertion path of a battery for coupling the battery to the battery sleeve of FIG. 8A; FIG.
Figure 8c illustrates the battery of Figure 8b coupled to the battery sleeve of Figure 8a.
Figures 8d, 8e, and 8f illustrate a battery sleeve configuration configured to prevent polarity reversal, according to an embodiment.
Figures 9a and 9b illustrate regulator assemblies configured for use in a 9 volt battery, according to an embodiment.
10A and 10B illustrate a battery including a regulator circuit disposed within an outer shell of the battery, according to an embodiment.
11 illustrates a two-phase voltage regulation scheme with a bypass phase, according to an embodiment;
12 illustrates a voltage regulation scheme utilizing both voltage increase and decrease with respect to the battery output voltage, in accordance with an embodiment;
13 is a diagram illustrating a three-phase voltage adjustment method including a voltage change phase according to an embodiment;
Figure 14 is a simplified diagram illustrating a voltage regulating circuit including a step-up converter, a bypass circuit, and a filter circuit, in accordance with an embodiment.
15 is a simplified diagram illustrating a step-down converter circuit, in accordance with an embodiment;
16 is a simplified diagram illustrating a voltage regulating circuit including a step-up converter, a step down converter, a filter, and a bypass circuit, according to an embodiment.
17 is a circuit diagram showing a voltage regulating circuit for providing a stepped up voltage and an inherent bypass voltage according to an embodiment;
18 shows an electronic device including a voltage regulating circuit according to an embodiment;

In the following description of the embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which are illustrated by way of illustration of specific example embodiments in which the embodiments may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that process, electrical, or mechanical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. I must understand. Therefore, the following detailed description is not taken in a limiting sense.

FIG. 1 illustrates a battery conditioning system 110 in accordance with one embodiment. The positive terminal 104 of the battery 103 is connected to the input terminal 101 of the voltage regulator 105. The ground terminal 100 of the battery 103 is connected to the ground input terminal 106 of the voltage regulator 105. In one embodiment, the negative terminal 100 of the battery needs to be routed to where the voltage regulator 105 is physically located. This can be accomplished through a flexible PCB that forms part of the battery sleeve, described in more detail below. The output terminal 102 of the voltage regulator 105 provides the output of the battery conditioning system 110. An insulator is disposed between the positive terminal 104 of the battery 103 and the output 102 of the voltage regulator 105.

The operation of the voltage regulation system 110 is described next. In one exemplary embodiment of the system 110, the output 102 of the system 110 is adjusted to 1.5V. The new AA battery provides a voltage to the regulator 105 in the 1.5V to 1.6V range. Since the output 102 of the regulator 105 is then adjusted to 1.5V, the output of the battery conditioning system 110 is fixed at 1.5V. In operation, as the device using the battery conditioning system 110 consumes current from the battery 103, the battery gradually loses the charge originally placed in the battery through the chemical energy storage means. This drops the voltage output by the battery 103 over time. However, the regulator 105 continues to provide a constant 1.5V at the output terminal 102 even if the regulator's input voltage is reduced below 1.5V. Thus effectively providing a constant voltage to the device using the battery conditioning system 105 until the voltage provided by the battery 103 is reduced to a minimum voltage at which the regulator 105 can operate. In this example, it will be about 0.7V to 0.8V. This allows the final device to use the battery 103 for a longer period of time. Also, more stored charge within the battery is used before it is discarded.

Figure 2 shows a simplified view of a battery sleeve according to one embodiment. When coupled to the battery 103, the sleeve 200 covers the top terminal 104 of the battery. The sleeve 200 has an upper portion that fits tightly around the upper portion of the battery 103. Sleeve 200 is generally designed to ensure a minimum increase in the overall dimensions of the battery when coupled to the battery. The sleeve 200 includes an insulator (not shown) that electrically isolates the positive terminal 104 of the battery 103 from the new positive terminal 204 of the battery sleeve 200. The sleeve 200 also includes a lower section that includes a lower conductor 205 that electrically connects to the negative terminal 100 of the battery 103. One or more conductive traces 202 route the bottom conductor 205 to a regulator circuit (not shown) housed within the upper portion of the sleeve 200.

Figure 3 illustrates a side view of a sleeve 300 coupled to a battery 103, according to one embodiment. The sleeve 300 surrounds the upper portion of the battery 103 and has an upper conductive electrode 304 insulated from the positive terminal 140 of the battery 103 by an insulator 312. In this embodiment, the regulator 105 is housed within the upper portion of the sleeve 300. The conductive trace 306 extending into the sleeve 300 connects the input terminal 101 of the regulator 105 to the positive terminal 104 of the battery 103. Another conductive trace 310 extending into the sleeve 300 connects the negative terminal 100 of the battery 103 to the input terminal 106 of the regulator 105. Another third conductive trace extending within the sleeve 300 connects the output terminal 102 of the regulator 105 to the upper conductive electrode 304 of the sleeve. The conductive traces 306, 308, and 310 are insulated from each other. As described above, in operation, the upper conductive electrode 304 serves as the "new " positive terminal of the battery.

4, the regulator 405 controls the position of the sleeve 400 near the location where the negative terminal 100 of the battery 103 is disposed when the battery 103 is inserted into the sleeve 400. In the alternative embodiment shown in Fig. Is disposed in the lower portion. In this embodiment, the positive terminal 104 of the battery 103 is routed by the conductive traces 412 extending through the sleeve 400 to the bottom of the sleeve where the regulator 405 is located. The lower traversed conductive trace 412 is connected to the input terminal 101 of the regulator 405 and the other input 106 of the regulator 405 is connected to the negative terminal of the battery 103, The terminal 100 of FIG. The output terminal 102 of the voltage regulator 405 is then routed up by the conductive traces 414 and connected to the upper conductive electrode 404 of the sleeve 400. The upper conductive electrode 404 of the sleeve is insulated from the positive terminal 104 of the battery 103 by the insulating layer 410, as in the previous embodiments. In this embodiment, two conductive traces 412, 414 extend between the upper and lower portions of the sleeve 400.

5 is a simplified diagram illustrating an embodiment in which the sleeve 500 is adapted to couple to two serially connected batteries 103A, 103B. In this exemplary embodiment, the batteries 103A and 103B are AA batteries that provide a 3V output. The adjuster 505 is shown outside the sleeve 500 in FIG. 5 to minimize clutter. Indeed, regulator 505 is housed within sleeve 500. The regulator 505 is used in a manner similar to the above embodiments. As in the previous embodiments, as the voltage of the two batteries drops due to use, the regulator 505 provides a constant regulated voltage equivalent to twice the voltage of the new batteries.

6A and 6B illustrate another embodiment in which the regulator and sleeve are adapted such that the sleeve provides a positive terminal of the battery to external devices with an adjusted output voltage. 6A shows how the positive terminal 104 and the negative terminal 100 of the battery 103 are interconnected to the voltage regulator 605. As shown in Fig. Although the regulator is shown as being separate from the sleeve for clarity, the regulator is actually housed within the sleeve. 6A also shows an insulator 610 that insulates the negative terminal 100 of the battery 103 and the lower electrode 612 of the sleeve. 6B more accurately reflects the physical location of the regulator 605 along the lower portion of the sleeve. In this embodiment, the output 102 of the voltage regulator 605 is used as a serial voltage to the voltage of the battery. Initially when the battery is new, the output 102 of the voltage regulator 605 is set to 0V, or even negative, to ensure that the voltage provided by the sleeve to the external equipment is maintained at 1.5V. As the battery charge drops over time, the voltage regulator 605 maintains a voltage at its output 102 that is substantially 1.5V-V (Battery). In other words, the regulator monitors the voltage provided by the battery 103 and when the voltage falls below the regulated voltage, the regulator generates a voltage to compensate for the drop in battery voltage. As an example, as the battery is used and the voltage of the battery drops to 1.1V, the voltage regulator 605 provides a voltage of 0.4V at its output 102. [

According to embodiments of the present invention, when coupled to a battery, the battery sleeve separates the positive terminal of the battery from the external devices and, during operation, adjusts the battery voltage to a constant voltage and replaces the original battery voltage to external devices Thereby providing a regulated constant voltage. The advantage of such a battery sleeve is that even after the output voltage of the battery drops below the allowable operating voltage of the external equipment, the external equipment continues to receive constant voltage and thus can continue to draw charge from the battery. It will continue to do so until the output voltage of the battery drops below the range in which the voltage regulation system can operate. In the AA battery example, if there is no battery sleeve, the battery should be discarded when this battery drops from 1.5V to 1.4V or 1.35V. However, if there is a sleeve, the external device will still see 1.5V, even if the battery voltage drops to as low as 0.8V or 0.7V. Note that the current level of the battery sleeve is required depending on the current needs of the final system.

If you look at the potential return of such a device with respect to the life of the battery, you can see a considerable advantage. For example, the AA battery in the above example will almost use the equivalent charge of the battery output in the range of 1.5V to 1.4V. This means that after a 0.1 V drop, the life of the battery is exhausted. If the battery can be used until its voltage reaches 0.8V, the battery life will end after 0.7V drop. Assuming that the time-to-voltage drop is a linear function, the lifetime of the battery may be improved by a factor of seven in this example. However, advantageously, the time-to-voltage drop is not entirely linear. The time it takes for the battery voltage to drop to 0.1V is longer at higher voltages and at lower voltages. This means that if the constant current is pulled out of the battery, it takes more time to discharge from 1.2V to 1.1V than from 1.5V to 1.4V. This means that the degree to which the battery life can be increased may be much higher than 7 times in the above example.

It is noted that the regulating circuit has a predetermined efficiency that reduces the degree to which the life of the battery is prolonged even if the life time reduction is rather minimal. During operation, the regulator itself uses a certain amount of current from the battery. Many available DC-DC converters have efficiencies as high as about 95%. That is, of the power supplied by the battery, 5% is used by the converter and the remainder is available to the end user. However, compared to a gain of 700% of the efficiency of the battery, the 5% efficiency loss due to the use of the converter can be neglected. It is further noted that the converter efficiency may drop as the battery voltage due to use drops. For example, as the battery voltage drops from 1.5V to 1V, the efficiency of the converter may drop from 50% to 60%. However, 50% efficiency is still a significant improvement over current methods of disposing of batteries because their voltage drops below the operable voltage range (ie, 1.4-1.5V).

The economy of the present invention is attractive. While there is a slight cost associated with implementing the present invention, this cost is many, if not offsetting the cost savings of extending the life of the battery, which is on the order of five to seven batteries. The implementation may be external to the battery as described in the various embodiments above, or alternatively, battery manufacturers may include the regulator circuit and associated connections within the battery housing during the manufacturing process. However, the attachable sleeve implementation has the added advantage that it can be reused repeatedly. That is, when the battery inside the sleeve is completely used, the used battery can be turned over and another battery can be placed in the sleeve. Thus, the cost of the sleeve is distributed among many batteries, thus minimizing the cost per battery. Attachable sleeves have the added benefit that existing battery manufacturing processes, equipment, or factories do not need to be changed (compared to implementations where the regulator is housed inside the batteries).

Note that, unless all, the battery compartment of most electronic equipment does not need to be retrofitted to accommodate the battery sleeves. Although the sleeve slightly increases the height of the battery, the spring in the battery compartments used to secure the battery in place can accommodate the added height. The length of the spring is typically in the range of 5 mm to 10 mm. The height of the battery due to the sleeve is about 1 mm. The additional height is easily accommodated by a spring that compresses more than one millimeter when the battery with the sleeve is inserted into the battery compartment. The thickness of the sleeve can of course be reduced according to technological advances. In batteries, such as 9V batteries, where the positive and negative terminals are located along the same end of the battery, the sleeve will have much less impact on the size of the battery. This is because, for these batteries, the sleeve is simply a male-to-female transducer with an insulator for separating the positive terminal of the battery from the output of the voltage regulator.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of batteries may be arranged in series and one sleeve may surround the batteries in series. As described in the embodiment of Figure 5, the output voltage of the serially connected batteries will be used as an input to the voltage regulator and a constant output voltage provided by the regulator is provided to the external devices. Note that the lifetime of these serially connected batteries is much greater than in the case of a single battery, as described below. When used without a sleeve, a single AA battery will be delivered when its voltage drops from 1.5V to 1.35V. When used with sleeves, the battery can be used below 0.8V. If the battery discharge time is linearly related to the discharge rate of the battery, the life extension time will be more than 0.7V / 0.15V or 4 times. Conversely, if two AA batteries are connected in series and the sleeve is not used, the two batteries will need to be turned over when the voltage of the serially connected batteries drops from 3V to 2.7V. When used with sleeves, series connected batteries can be used down to 0.8V from 3V. Then, the life extension time is proportional to (3-0.8) / (3-2.7) = 2.2 / 0.3, so that the battery life extension will be larger than 7 times. This assumes a linear relationship between the output voltage and time. However, as described above, the batteries behave non-linearly in that the time taken to drop from 1.5V to 1.4V by 0.1V is much shorter than the time taken from 1.3V to 1.2V.

In yet another embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention is used with rechargeable batteries. There is a phenomenon related to rechargeable batteries called shadow effect. When the battery discharges only a small amount, it is charged. If the process is repeated a number of times, the battery loses its ability to hold the charge. Current embodiments reduce the need for end-users to recharge frequently because rechargeable batteries will operate for a much longer period of time.

Another known phenomenon is that if the rechargeable battery is allowed to discharge beyond a certain limit, the number of times it can be charged is significantly reduced. Current embodiments include a voltage detection system that detects when the battery reaches the lower limit and blocks the output voltage, thereby increasing the number of times the battery can be charged.

In one embodiment, printed silicon-on-metal technology can be used to implement sleeves, regulator circuits, and related connections. This is a new technology that uses materials other than silicon to process circuits. In some cases, these types of printed silicones that are printed on stainless steel can be used to shape sleeves around or around the battery. This will also enable more thermal properties to be placed.

In another embodiment, a flexible PCB may be used to route the terminals from one side of the battery to the other. These thin layers of flexible will make the sleeve very thin.

In another embodiment, the efficiency of the regulator system can be adjusted such that the efficiency is maximized at the output current level at which the final system normally operates, while the system allows the regulator system's maximum current output capability to be quite high. For example, if a battery is used in a remote control system with an average current consumption of 50 mA, the voltage boosting system, which may be a DC-DC conversion system, is set as high as possible at the output current level.

FIG. 7 illustrates actual measurements that illustrate the advantages of various embodiments. Three popular AA battery brands, Panasonic, Duracell and Sony, were selected for measurement. An active load circuit that draws a fixed 50mA current was placed at the output of these batteries and the voltage of each battery was measured over time. Horizontal access represents time and vertical access represents battery voltage. The starting voltage of these new batteries was 1.6V. The amount of time it takes to reach 1.39V, where many battery-powered electronics stop working, is listed. The Panasonic battery took 6.3 hours to reach that level, and the Sony battery took 4.5 hours. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, when used with a regulator, the Panasonic battery took 27.9 hours to stop providing 1.5V, and when used with the regulator, the Sony battery took 32 hours to stop providing 1.5V. Therefore, when there is a regulator, the battery takes 4.5 to 7 times to be replaced. Thus, the total number of batteries that are manufactured and subsequently discarded will be reduced by 4 to 7 times. This will have a significant impact on our planet considering all of the battery materials, the manufacture of battery materials, the transport of battery materials, the packaging of battery materials, as well as carbon emissions to extract all the hazardous materials that fill the landfill.

8A shows an inverted exploded view of a battery sleeve assembly 700 including a regulator circuit 705 and a battery sleeve 710 arranged to interface with the positive terminal of the battery, according to an embodiment. Regulator circuit 705 may be formed on a suitable substrate (e.g., organic based, ceramic based, flexible printed circuit (FPC), rigid flexible printed circuit (RFPC)). The regulator circuit 705 can be configured according to any suitable regulator circuit described herein and provides corresponding adjustments. Sleeve 710 may be configured to support the substrate and fit over any suitable standard battery (e.g., AA, AAA, C, D) as shown in Figures 8b and 8c. The sleeve 710 may be made of a conductive material coated with a non-conductive material, except where the sleeve 710 is electrically connected to the regulator circuit 705 and the sleeve 710 contacts the negative terminal of the battery. The non-conductive material coating prevents an electrical short between the negative terminal of any metallic cylindrical wall of the battery operated device, such as flashlight. Sleeve 710 includes a side portion 712, a lower portion 714, and an upper portion 716. The side portion 712 is sized to be thin enough to allow the combination of the battery sleeve assembly 700 and the battery to be installed in battery operated devices configured to receive the battery and to provide adequate strength and rigidity (e.g., Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > of < / RTI > cylindrical inner and outer surfaces.

The upper portion of the regulator circuit 705 has a spring contact 718. Spring contact 718 is configured to extend the entire length of the battery and be deflectable to be completely flat when the batteries are physically connected in series. The configuration of the spring contacts 718 allows the combination of the battery and the battery sleeve assembly to fit within the battery-powered devices configured to house the battery in addition to the battery sleeve assembly 700. [ 8C shows a combination of batteries installed in the battery sleeve assembly 700. FIG.

Figures 8d, 8e, and 8f illustrate a battery sleeve configuration configured to prevent polarity reversal, according to an embodiment. Figure 8d shows a battery sleeve assembly 700 having a capping element 719 configured to prevent unintended polarity reversal. The encapsulation element 719 has a u-shaped configuration < RTI ID = 0.0 > 718 < / RTI > formed to accommodate the coupling of the positive battery terminal to the positive input contact on the substrate 705 while blocking the coupling of the negative battery terminal & Respectively. 8E shows the substrate 705 and the encapsulation element 719 viewed closely. Fig. 8F shows the substrate 705 and encapsulation element 719 viewed and exploded close together. The encapsulation element 719 may be formed from a suitable non-conductive encapsulant material and may serve to protect battery sleeve elements, such as regulator circuit elements, disposed on the substrate 705 from contact induced damage.

9A illustrates an adjuster assembly 720 configured for use with a 9 volt battery 721, according to an embodiment. The regulator assembly 720 includes a female input voltage connector 722 configured to mate with a male positive terminal 723 of the battery 721 and a male terminal 725 configured to mate with a female negative terminal 725 of the battery 721. [ An input voltage connector 724, a substrate assembly 726, a positive positive voltage output terminal 727, and a negative negative voltage output terminal 728 of the male. The substrate assembly 726 includes a regulator circuit 729. The regulator circuit 729 is electrically connected to the input voltage connector 722 and the male input voltage connector 724 to receive the output voltage and current from the battery 721. The regulator circuit 729 outputs the regulated voltage to the output terminals 727 and 728 using any suitable method described herein.

Figure 9B shows a regulator assembly 730 configured for use with a 9 volt battery 721, according to an embodiment. Regulator assembly 730 is similar to regulator assembly 720 described above, but includes a lower base plate 731 and an upper base plate 732. The lower base plate 731 supports input voltage connectors 722 and 724. The upper base plate 732 supports the output terminals 727 and 728. The regulator circuit 729 is sandwiched between the upper and lower base plates 731 and 732 and protected from abrupt contact damage.

10A and 10B illustrate a battery 740 that includes a regulator circuit 742 disposed within the outer shell of battery 740, in accordance with an embodiment. Regulator circuit 742 may be configured similar to other regulator circuits described herein. Regulator circuit 742 may be embedded in the battery using any suitable method to isolate regulator circuit 742 from materials within the battery. For example, the regulator circuit 742 may be embedded in a potting material such as a suitable resin, silicone, ultraviolet light curable acrylic potting synthetic material, polyester, hot melt material, and the like. The regulator circuit 742 may also be embedded through an appropriate casting process, through encapsulation or dip coating, and through encapsulation through a printed circuit board (PCB) conformal coating.

11 shows a two-phase voltage regulation scheme 750 with a bypass phase 752 and a boost phase 754, according to an embodiment. In the bypass phase 752, the battery output voltage 756 is greater than or equal to the selected voltage level 757 (e. G., The illustrated 1.5 volts). Any suitable voltage (e.g., 1.55 volts, 1.50 volts, 1.45 volts, etc.) may be used as the selected voltage level 757. In many instances, a fully charged battery will output a voltage in excess of the nominal voltage rating of the battery. In the illustrated example, the battery output voltage 756 is 1.60 volts when the time is zero and decreases over time to 1.5 volts for about 5 minutes of use and further decreases to 0.80 volts for about 46 minutes of use. If the battery output voltage 756 is greater than or equal to the selected voltage level 757, the regulator circuit outputs the battery output voltage 756 directly through the appropriate bypass circuit as described herein. The battery output voltage 756 is used to drive the regulator circuit outputting the selected voltage level 757 during the boost phase 754 after the battery output voltage 756 drops below the selected voltage level 757. [ By using the bypass phase 752, power losses associated with boosting the battery output voltage are avoided during the bypass phase 752 while the battery output voltage is above the selected voltage level 757.

12 illustrates a voltage regulation scheme 760 that utilizes both voltage increase and decrease with respect to the battery output voltage, in accordance with an embodiment. In the illustrated example, the battery output voltage 762 decreases from 1.6 volts at time zero for example use over time to a selected voltage level 764 (e.g., 1.40 at the illustrated example) Volts) and decreases to 0.80 volts in 48 minutes of use. During the first phase 766, the selected voltage 764 output by the regulator circuit to the battery-powered device is reduced relative to the battery output voltage used to drive the regulator circuit. For example, the regulator circuit may include a step down converter circuit as described herein for outputting a reduced output voltage relative to the battery output voltage 762 during the first phase 766. During the second phase 768, the selected voltage 764 output by the regulator circuit to the battery-powered device is increased relative to the battery output voltage 762 used to drive the regulator circuit. For example, the regulator circuit may further include a step-up converter circuit as described herein for outputting an increased output voltage relative to the battery output voltage 762 during the second phase 768.

FIG. 13 shows a three phase adjustment scheme 770 that includes a bypass phase 772, a voltage change phase 774, and a constant voltage phase 776. During bypass phase 772, the battery output voltage 778 is directly output by the regulator circuit to the battery drive apparatus as described herein. The bypass phase is used when the battery output voltage 778 exceeds a first selected voltage level (e.g., 1.45 volts in the illustrated example). Any suitable voltage level may be used as the first selected voltage level. When the battery output voltage 778 is below a first selected voltage level and exceeds a second selected voltage level (e.g., 1.00 volts in the illustrated example), the battery output voltage 778 is changed to a varying output voltage 780. < / RTI > In the illustrated example, the varying output voltage 780 decreases from 1.50 volts when the battery output voltage 778 is 1.45 volts down to 1.35 volts when the battery output voltage is 1.0 volts. During the constant voltage phase 776, the battery output voltage 778 is used to drive a regulator circuit that is controlled to output a constant output voltage 782 (e.g., 1.35 volts in the example illustrated). By reducing the amount of voltage boost provided by the regulator circuit, the efficiency of the regulator circuit is improved to increase the effective battery life.

Figure 14 is a simplified diagram illustrating a voltage regulating circuit 800 including a step-up converter 802, a bypass circuit 804, and a filter circuit 806, in accordance with an embodiment. The voltage regulation circuit 800 may be used to provide the functionality described herein for extending the life of the battery. The step-up converter 802 receives the output from the battery 808 and outputs the adjusted voltage to the filter circuit 806 which then delivers a smoothed voltage output to the battery drive device 810. [ The filter circuit 806 may comprise any suitable combination of one or more inductors and / or capacitors to smooth the voltage change of the voltage output by the step-up converter 802.

The step-up converter 802 includes an inductor 812, a diode 814, a capacitor 816, a control switch 818 (e.g., MOSFET), and a switch controller 820. The switch controller 820 adjusts the resulting ratio between the voltage output by the step-up converter 802 and the voltage supplied by the battery 808 through controlled opening and closing of the switch 818. When the switch 818 is closed, the current flowing through the inductor 812 increases. When the switch 818 is opened, the inductor 812 drives a decreasing amount of current through the diode 814 to charge the capacitor 816 so that the voltage across the filter circuit 806, and further boosts the voltage supplied to the battery drive device 810. [ Diode 814 serves to prevent discharge of capacitor 816 through the reverse flow of current through switch 818 when switch 818 is closed. Control of the voltage supplied to the battery drive device 810 with respect to the voltage issued by the battery 808 by cycling the switch 818 between open and closed at a rate selected to provide the desired charge levels to the capacitor 816. [ .

The switch controller 820 controls the opening and closing of the switch 818 via the control lead 822 connected to the switch 818. [ Switch controller 820 is coupled to voltage inputs 824 and 826 from battery 808 and voltage inputs 828 and 830 from voltage output to battery drive device 810 by voltage regulation circuitry 800. [ Thereby controlling the switch 818. For example, the switch controller 820 may be operatively coupled to a switch (not shown) to output desired output levels to the battery-powered device 810, such as those described herein, for the varying voltages output by the battery 808 for the lifetime of the battery (E. G., A microprocessor, microcontroller, etc.) that utilizes a suitable scheme (e. G., Via a lookup table) to vary the off-

The bypass circuit 804 includes a bypass switch 832 that is controlled by a switch controller 820 via a control lead 834. By closing the bypass switch 832 and opening the step-up converter switch 818, the battery output voltage can be supplied directly to the electric drive 810 according to the bypass phase described herein.

15 is a simplified diagram illustrating a step down converter circuit 850, in accordance with an embodiment. The step down converter circuit 850 may be configured to receive the battery drive device 810 from the battery 808 to extend the life of the battery during the first phase 766 described, for example, with reference to the voltage regulation scheme shown in FIG. Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI >

The step down converter circuit 850 includes an inductor 852, a capacitor 854, a diode 856, a controlled switch 858, and a switch controller 860. The switch controller 860 controls the opening and closing of the switch 858 via the control lead 862. When the switch is closed, the current flows through the inductor 852 at an increasing rate. When the switch is held in the closed position, the voltage supplied to the battery drive device 810 increases to reach the voltage output by the battery 808. [ When the switch 858 is opened, the voltage supplied to the battery drive device 810 is provided through the discharge of the capacitor 854. If the switch remains in the open position, the voltage supplied to battery drive device 810 will decrease to zero over time. By cycling between opening and closing at a rate selected to provide the desired charge levels to the capacitor 854 via the switch 858, the desired voltage level of the voltage supplied to the battery drive device 810, relative to the voltage output by the battery 808, Reduction occurs.

The switch controller 860 controls the opening and closing of the switch 858 via the control lead 862 connected to the switch 858. Switch controller 860 is coupled to voltage inputs 864 and 866 from battery 808 and voltage inputs 868 and 870 from the voltage output to battery drive device 810 by voltage regulation circuitry 850 And controls the switch 858 accordingly. For example, the switch controller 860 may control the switch 808 to output desired output levels to the battery drive 810, such as those described herein, for the varying voltages output by the battery 808 for the lifetime of the battery (E. G., A microprocessor, microcontroller, etc.) that utilizes a suitable scheme (e. G., Via a lookup table) to vary the off-

Figure 16 is a simplified drawing of a voltage regulating circuit 900 that includes a step-up converter 902, a step-down converter circuit 904, a filter 906, and a bypass circuit 908, to be. The step-up converter 902 receives the voltage output by the battery 808 and outputs the adjusted voltage to the step-down converter 904. The step-up converter 902 is configured to controllably increase the voltage output from the step-up converter relative to the voltage supplied by the battery 808. In the illustrated embodiment, step-down converter 904 receives the voltage output by step-up converter 902 and outputs the adjusted voltage to filter 906. Alternatively, the positions of transducers 902 and 904 may be inverted for a step-down converter 904 that receives the voltage from battery 808 and outputs the regulated voltage to step-up converter 902. The filter 906 is configured to output a regulated voltage that is equalized and equalized to the adjusted voltage supplied to the filter to the battery drive device 810. Any suitably configured step-up converter 902 may be utilized, such as the step-up converter 802 described herein. Any suitably configured step down converter 904 may be used, such as the step down converter 850 described herein. The bypass circuit 908 can be configured and function similar to the bypass circuit 804 described herein.

17 is a circuit diagram showing a voltage regulating circuit 950 for providing a stepped up voltage and an inherent bypass voltage, according to an embodiment. The voltage regulating circuit 950 may be used in any suitable method or apparatus described herein. Voltage regulation circuit 950 receives the input voltage via input voltage connection 952 and outputs the output voltage via output voltage connection 954. Voltage regulation circuit 950 is connected to ground 956 (e.g., the negative terminal of the battery to which input voltage connection 952 is connected).

The voltage regulating circuit 950 functions similarly to the voltage regulating circuit 800 shown in Fig. 14 and described above. The voltage regulating circuit includes an inductor 958, an input side capacitor 960, a control unit 962, output side capacitors 964 and 966, and output side resistors 968 and 970. The control unit 962 provides the (Vout) terminal to the (Vin) terminal electrically while the input voltage received via the input voltage connection 952 is equal to or greater than the target output voltage to be supplied to the battery driving apparatus via the output voltage connection 954. [ And outputs the input voltage received from the battery to the output voltage connection 954. [ The control unit 962 alternately connects the input terminal (SW) to the output terminal (GND) and the output terminal (Vout) while the input voltage received through the input voltage connection 952 is less than the target output voltage, A suitable current flow in a manner analogous to that described herein for circuit 800 may then be made to flow through inductor 958 driving a current out through the (Vout) terminal to cause a current on output side capacitors 964, Charge accumulation, and boosts the voltage supplied to the output voltage connection 954. [ The input capacitor 960 serves to reduce the variation of the input voltage supplied to the inductor 958 and the control unit 962. [

The voltage regulating circuit may be included in the battery-powered device to extend the life of one or more batteries used to power the battery-powered device. For example, Fig. 18 shows a battery driving apparatus 1000 including a voltage regulating circuit 1002 therein. Voltage regulation circuit 1002 may be configured similar to the other regulator circuits described herein. Battery drive apparatus 1000 includes circuitry and / or elements 1004 that are driven by one or more batteries 1004 that may be removable, replaceable, and / or rechargeable. As with other adjustment circuits described herein, the voltage regulation circuit 1002 may be configured such that the voltage output by the one or more batteries 1004 falls below the minimum voltage required for normal operation of the circuit and / And to extend the life of one or more batteries 1004 by outputting a regulated voltage for use in powering circuitry and / or device 1004.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement that is calculated or designed to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. Many modifications of this disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the voltage regulator 105, regulator 405, regulator 505, voltage regulator 605, regulator circuit 705, regulator circuit 729, regulator circuit 742, voltage regulator circuit 800, , The step-down converter circuit 850, the voltage regulator circuit 900, and the voltage regulator circuit 950, as well as the functionality and functionality described herein with respect to Figures 11-13. , The functionality described herein may be used alone or in any suitable combination in a method and / or apparatus to extend the life of the battery. Accordingly, this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of this disclosure.

Claims (23)

A method for extending the life of a battery,
Receiving from the battery a battery electrical power output having a battery output voltage that decreases from a battery first output voltage to a battery second output voltage;
Driving a converter using the battery electrical power output to output a transducer electrical power having a converter output voltage that is greater than the battery second output voltage; And
Outputting the transducer electrical power from one or more output terminals configured to interface with one or more input terminals of the battery drive apparatus
Lt; / RTI >
The transducer may be configured to: (a) be configured and supported with respect to the battery to interface with one or more output terminals of the battery; or (b)
Wherein the converter electrical power output is output through terminals of the battery. The method according to claim 1,
The converter output voltage has a substantially constant magnitude as the battery output voltage decreases from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage;
Wherein the battery second output voltage is less than 70% of the battery first output voltage. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the battery output voltage is lower than the minimum voltage level required for normal operation of the battery drive apparatus from the battery first output voltage, Outputting the battery electric power output from an output terminal
Further comprising the steps < RTI ID = 0.0 > of: < / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
Decreasing the converter output voltage during at least a portion of a decrease in the battery output voltage from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage
Further comprising the steps < RTI ID = 0.0 > of: < / RTI > 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein during a portion of the reduction of the battery output voltage from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage, the converter output voltage is reduced by less than 10% and the battery output voltage is reduced by more than 30% A method for extending the life of a battery. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein during an initial portion of a decrease in the battery output voltage from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage, the converter output voltage is less than the battery output voltage. The method according to claim 1,
The converter being configured such that the converter output voltage is less than the first voltage, b) greater than the second voltage, and c) the battery output voltage decreases from the battery first output voltage to the battery second output voltage A step-up converter and a step-down converter controlled to vary by less than 10 percent;
Wherein the battery second output voltage is less than 70 percent of the battery first output voltage. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the battery comprises a plurality of serially connected separate batteries. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the battery is a 9 volt battery having standardized adjacent output terminals. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the battery has an outer shell and the transducer is disposed within the outer shell. The method according to claim 1,
Preventing polarity inversion by blocking mating between the negative terminal of the battery and the positive input terminal of the converter
Further comprising the steps < RTI ID = 0.0 > of: < / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the battery drive device comprises the transducer. A battery sleeve for extending the operating life of one or more batteries,
A positive conductive electrode;
Such that when the sleeve is coupled to the one or more batteries, the positive conductive electrode is disposed over the positive terminal of the one or more batteries and the insulating layer electrically isolates the positive conductive electrode from the positive terminal, An insulating layer extending below the conductive electrode; And
Adapted to receive a voltage provided by the one or more batteries and to generate an increased output voltage on the positive conductive electrode for a voltage provided during at least a portion of the operating life of the one or more batteries,
. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the voltage provided by the one or more batteries is reduced from the battery first output voltage over the operating life of the one or more batteries to a second battery output voltage less than 70 percent of the battery first output voltage. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the voltage regulating circuit is operable to regulate a voltage provided by the one or more batteries as the voltage provided by the one or more batteries decreases from a battery first output voltage to a voltage equal to or greater than a minimum voltage level required for normal operation of the battery- To the positive conductive electrode. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the voltage regulating circuit generates an output voltage greater than the voltage provided by the one or more batteries and the output voltage generated by the voltage regulating circuit decreases during a portion of the operating life of the one or more batteries. . 17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein during a portion of the operating life of the one or more batteries in which the voltage generated by the voltage regulation circuit decreases, the voltage generated by the voltage regulation circuit is reduced by less than 10 percent and the voltage provided by the one or more batteries is reduced by 30 percent Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 1, < / RTI > 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the voltage generated by the voltage regulation circuit is less than a voltage provided by the one or more batteries during an initial portion of an operating lifetime of the one or more batteries. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the voltage regulating circuit is configured such that the voltage generated by the voltage regulating circuit is less than a) the initial voltage provided by the one or more batteries during the operating life of the one or more batteries, b) at the end of the operating life of the one or more batteries A step-up converter and a step-down converter controlled to vary by less than 10 percent during an operating life of the one or more batteries;
Wherein the final output voltage provided by the one or more batteries is less than 70 percent of the initial voltage provided by the one or more batteries. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the at least one battery comprises a plurality of serially connected separate batteries. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the at least one battery comprises a 9 volt battery having standardized adjacent output terminals. 14. The method of claim 13,
And a voltage regulating circuit configured to receive the positive terminal of the one or more batteries when the battery sleeve is coupled to the one or more batteries and to prevent the polarity reversal at the voltage provided by the one or more batteries to the voltage regulating circuit. A u-shaped element configured to block electrical connection between negative terminals of the one or more batteries
Further comprising: A battery assembly having an extended operating life,
Outer shell;
At least one voltage generating cell disposed within the outer shell and providing an output voltage;
Positive voltage terminal;
Negative voltage terminal; And
A voltage regulating circuit
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the voltage regulating circuit receives an output voltage provided by the at least one voltage generating cell and generates an increased output voltage for the voltage provided by the at least one voltage generating cell over at least a portion of the operating life of the at least one voltage generating cell And,
Wherein the voltage regulation circuit is operably connected to the positive and negative voltage terminals to output the generated increased output voltage through the positive and negative voltage terminals.

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